My Design Thoughts

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

As I explained in a prior post I was so excited to be a subscriber to Domino magazine (thanks to my sister). Well, that was short lived! They stopped printing as of this month so I have been automatically slated to receive Architectural Digest instead. I could elect another Conde Nast publication to replace it but, Architectural Digest will do.

I'll have to remain on the lookout though for a domino-like replacement.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

So, luckily, my husband and I have been unaffected by the economic pull back but, that is not to say that we feel free to spend any significant sums on improvements (or anything else, really). We, like most everyone else, are pulling back so no big kitchen remodel right now. I will however be looking for fun, inexpensive ideas to spruce things up. And I will try to do this on a more regular basis than I have for the last couple months.

Monday, January 26, 2009

I just read an article about a woman who is on Architectural Digest's top 100 list of interior designers who has created a "new" product. The designer, Cecil Hayes, determined that many people who try for a new look in their home start by dragging their heavy furniture around to see where it fits best. Since that is time consuming and back-breaking work, she has created furniture templates made out of paper that you can drag around instead. Sounds great, huh?

Now, don't get me wrong, this is an awesome idea but, why buy this product? A few years back when I bought new furniture I decided what I thought I liked, took the dimensions and cut them out of contact paper (but, really, any kind of paper would work, wrapping paper, butcher paper, you get the idea). I then moved those pieces of paper around my family room until I saw the layout that I liked. It also gave me great comfort that the pieces I chose would fit. If I can figure this out I bet a lot of you have also.

So, the next time you are in the mood to redecorate, get out the wrapping paper first and your rearranging project will go much more quickly and smoother. Have fun!

Friday, January 23, 2009

We have been dreaming of a new kitchen since we moved into our current home almost 10 years ago. Then, a few weeks back my husband called me in to see a television show about kitchen remodeling. Of course, I came running because our kitchen is something I'd like to redo in the not too distant future. Well, we both sat there watching two people discuss a "new" kitchen. The kitchen had been refaced as opposed to replaced, as we watched we felt we received a pretty thorough education in refacing.

The attraction for us was that it was cost effective and we would only be out of commission a couple of weeks rather than the months that I have heard horror stories about. Our kitchen has a pretty good layout and our cabinets are good quality, just dated. So, we thought we would try for an estimate.

I called a refacing company and they sent someone out to our home. The man measured our kitchen, spoke with us about our options, then measured again, and talked some more. He remarked at how "gigantic" our kitchen is, it is 18 feet by 16 feet. I know it is a good size but I would never call it "gigantic." So, as it turns out, all this talk was to prepare us for a "gigantic" price tag. The explanation is that we have 71 linear feet of space, and here's the price: $96,000 but just for us they are offering a 30% discount which brings it to $64,000. Wow!

Now, I'm not sure how to measure a kitchen but 71 linear feet seems like a lot. Then we did need a couple of new cabinets because we do want to move a couple things around but, the price does not seem right, does it? It does not include any of the bells and whistles like under cabinet lighting, the backslash, the electrical, new overhead lighting, finishing the inside of the glassed in cabinets, or any of the pull outs that I would love to have when we do remodel our kitchen.

To make matters worse, we could not get rid of the kitchen guy. He came on a school night at 7:00. My husband's car would not start so we had to go pick it up and we could not get rid of the guy! He kept remeasuring, taking one thing to his car, trying to get us to sign the contract, remeasuring. Finally, I told my husband I was going to wait in the car and he needed to boot the man out. I hate to be rude but it was closing in on 10:00 and we still had a car to retrieve.

So, we feel like we can get a brand new kitchen for much less than that and decided to keep looking. I was so disappointed!

Friday, January 9, 2009

I'm not sure why builders do this but, it always seems like those huge air conditioner or heater intakes are in the most visible places in homes with the ugliest cover over them. In my house, our grill is down a flight of stairs in direct line of sight when entering through my front door. I have always thought that was so ugly and my husband will not let me cover it because, well, it is the intake for the heating and air conditioner.

I have finally found a potential solution that may be acceptable to both of us. Pattern Cut will cut any shape pattern into wood that you can use to cover your unsightly vent. An idea I had was to have to identical vent covers made and hang them symmetrically on the wall, one to cover the air vent and the other to make it look more like a display of art. Maybe paint them interesting colors or something.

I am still playing with the idea but I'm really excited about the solution for finally hiding that unsightly eye sore.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

I am so excited! For Christmas my sister and her husband gave me a subscription to Domino magazine. I had never read this magazine before but after receiving the information from my sister I picked up a copy at my local Borders bookstore. Boy, is it chalk full of great information, ideas, and articles. I have really enjoyed it an cannot wait to receive my first issue.